Donations pour in for Newlyn Primary School after theft

NEWLYN Primary School pupils were dancing for joy after learning they would receive new musical instruments, just days after a theft from their school.

Following the theft of three guitars and the school keyboard last Friday, the school has received generous donations and offers of new and old musical instruments from Ballarat and Melbourne businesses this week.

After The Courier broke the story on Monday, 3AW’s Neil Mitchell program received phone calls from Melbourne businesses promising to donate new instruments.

Jam Tin Rehearsal Studio said it would donate acoustic, bass and electric guitars, as well as a drum kit, microphone and keyboard.

On Tuesday, a Creswick man donated a second-hand keyboard and yesterday morning the school received more phone calls from people in the Ballarat region offering to donate keyboards and an acoustic guitar.

Acting principal Kathy Kirby said she was overwhelmed by the support from the community.

“We’re amazed by the generosity,” Ms Kirby said.

“We knew what time (the teachers) would be interviewed on the radio and (we)had the students listening,” Ms Kirby said.

“The children could hardly believe it when her voice was on the radio, they got up and started dancing.”

Music teacher Diane Davis, who had spent 12 years building up the school’s instrument collection, said she was devastated to discover the school had been broken into.

“It is very crushing, I love my instruments and I have spent so long filling out the school’s collection,” she said.

Ms Davis said it was terrible that her first steel-string guitar had also been stolen in the raid.

“I had that one for over 20 years ... It was a special thing back then, to buy a new steel-string guitar.”

On Monday the teachers will travel to Jam Tin Rehearsal Studio in Melbourne to select the instruments for the school.

Ms Kirby said the school was now looking at ways to upgrade the current security system.